Syllable is the minimum pronunciation unit in Russian. It may consist of one or more sounds.
Pupils of schools and students of philological fields often encounter tasks from the category: "Divide the words into syllables." It would seem that coping with such a task is very easy. However, often a question arises in people: "How to divide words into syllables?"
In the article you will find the answer to this question. Get acquainted with the basic rules and learn how to teach a child to divide words into syllables.
Difficulties in the syllabus
Usually, there are no problems breaking up simple words into syllables. Any of us will be able to cope with the syllabus of the noun "water". But how to divide a word into syllables, if it is complex in composition?
Take the participle “examined” for example. How to correctly carry out the syllable section: “rass-smo-trenny”, “ra-ssmo-trenny”, “ra-ssmo-trenny”? The correct answer is the third option, but why? In order to understand, we will get acquainted with the basic rules for dividing a word into syllables.
Basic rules of the syllable section
The first thing to remember is the number of syllables in a word is equal to the sum of the vowels that make up its composition. The boundaries of the syllabus often do not coincide with the Pomorphic division, therefore, when parsing, it is necessary to rely on the following rules:
- syllabic in the Russian language are vowels;
- a syllable cannot include more than one vowel;
- a syllable may consist of one vowel sound (o-water) or a combination of vowels and consonants. A syllable consisting of two or more sounds always begins with a consonant;
- all syllables in the Russian language strive for openness.
Open and closed syllables
In order to determine how to divide the word into syllables correctly, you must be able to distinguish them by type. All syllables in modern Russian are divided into two types: open and closed.
An open syllable always ends in a vowel (pro-vo-da-go-lo-va, pe-le-na). He can meet at the beginning, middle or end of a word.
A closed syllable ends in a consonant. Most often, he appears at the end of the word (bow, smog, hungol). Also, a closed syllable can be formed if in the middle of the word there is a sonor consonant (forces, wolves, tanks).
If a group of several consonants occurs in the middle of a word, they usually go to the beginning of the syllable, leaving the previous one open (di-someone-von, name-no-e, re-da-kti-ro-va-ni).
Features of the syllabus
The syllable in the Russian language obeys not only the law of the open syllable, but also the law of upward sonority. The bottom line is that the syllables in the word are arranged in increasing order: from less sonorous to more. From here several rules follow. They will tell you how to divide words into syllables:
- If the word contains a consonant that stands between two vowels, it goes to the next syllable (then-pot, pu-le-met, vyvod, i-ko-na, ka-li-na);
- The combination of several noisy ones (all consonants, except sonor ones) is assigned to the next syllable (e-zda, pen, mo-li-tva, ka-li-tka);
- A group of noisy and sonorous consonants is assigned to the second syllable in turn (important, so-so-ti-vle-ni, o-sense-flicker);
- Several consonant consonants, standing in one word between the vowels, are assigned to the next syllable (a-diamond, a-rmi-i, in my opinion);
- In combinations of sonorous and noisy between the vowels, the first sound departs to the syllable that stands in front of it (cannot, regiment, nor-ka, mertsa-ni-e, thief-si-nka);
- Duplicate consonants go to the syllable that follows them (reins, Rho-ssi, kolo-nna, a-lle-i);
- If the word "y" appears in front of a sonorous or noisy one, it is assigned to the previous syllable (mine-va, lei-ka, ka-na-rei-ka, te-lo-gray-ka).
Remembering these rules is not difficult, but they will help you easily determine how to divide the word into syllables correctly.
Syllabus execution algorithm
We have analyzed a theory that will help us divide words into syllables. Now let's move on to the practical part. Successfully determine how many syllables in a word, a simple plan will help us:
- Write the word given in the assignment on a separate sheet.
- Determine how many vowels are included.
- Spend an initial syllable after each vowel.
- See if there are any difficult places in the word: groups of consonants, sonor or double sounds.
- If there is, change the syllable boundary according to the rules.
It should be remembered that syllable transfer and syllabus are not equal to each other. Word wrap is based on the morphemic composition of the word. We cannot separate a letter from a prefix or suffix.
Dividing a word by syllables allows you to split whole morphemes into parts in accordance with the rules of the syllable section. For example, consider the verb "raise." For transfer, it will be divided as follows: "under-ni-mother." The division by syllables will be different: "in the days-mother."
We teach children to read syllables
Now many mothers are trying to teach their children how to read as early as possible. One of the most effective ways to do this is to read syllables. You won’t explain to a child how to divide a word into syllables using complex rules. Therefore, game techniques are used.
You can start practicing with a child from the age of one. Exercises aimed at developing reading skills contribute to improving memory, the development of abstract thinking. They teach the child to think logically, to compare. In addition, classes can be turned into a fun game.
How to teach a child to divide words into syllables?
First, learn the alphabet with your child. This will help books with bright pictures, cubes. Boards on which multi-colored letters can be fixed.
Then explain that there are vowels and consonants. Vowels are pronounced for a long time and loudly. Consonants are short and dull. Tell the kid that the stressed syllable lasts the longest.
Say a few simple words aloud and ask the child to determine which sound is stressed. Choose nouns that your kid is familiar with. For training, the words “soap”, “water”, “hand”, “leg”, “face”, “body” are suitable.
Explain that the number of vowels corresponds to the number of syllables. If the child already knows how to count, try to find out with him how many vowels in these words: "carrots", "onions", "plate", "cabbage", "toy", "TV".
After acquainting the child with the basics, proceed to the game exercises.
Make cards on which syllables will be written for each consonant letter of the alphabet. In order to systematize the technique, arrange the combinations of consonants and vowels in the same order on each card. For example: "ma, me, we, mi, mo, me, me, mu, mu."
Give the child a card, let him look at the syllables while you read them out loud, and repeat. This exercise will help develop visual memory. Over time, the child will be able to recognize syllables and pronounce them without your help.
Make plaques on which letter combinations will be written. Ask the child to make a word out of them and read it. To begin, offer him cards with the syllables "ma", "pa". Let the baby make the words familiar to him: “mom” and “dad”.
Learning to read the syllables of a child will be helped by game blocks, on which combinations of vowels and consonants are drawn. Sets of magnetic letters.
Try to come up with various games for your baby to stimulate interest. For example, invite him to send one letter to visit another and see what happened.
Moving from easy to hard
When the child learns the basics, begin to complicate the tasks. In this case, continue to conduct classes in a playful way.
Offer your child a few words that differ in only one letter. Let him determine the difference between the two. For example, the words “soap” and “cute”, “home” and “smoke”.
Choose a dozen words consisting of two syllables. Each syllable will require one card. Shuffle the leaves and ask the child to make words from them. The nouns “frame”, “mom”, “dad”, “dacha”, “hand”, “leg”, “face”, “soap”, “body”, “meat” will do.
Teach your child to syllable hyphenation. To do this, write on the sheet a few two-syllable words in a column. Let the child draw a line after each vowel, and then say it out loud, making small pauses at the place of the syllable section.
Take two sheets with the same text. Let it be a fairy tale or a little nursery rhyme. Have your child follow the words while you read. After a while, pause and ask the child where you left off.
Read small fairy tales by roles with the kid.
For classes of any kind, choose fun children's texts that are of interest to the child. It can be poems, fairy tales, small articles about animals. Ask to retell. This will help develop the baby's memory and speech.
Some tips for those who want to teach a child to read
Before starting classes, make sure that your child is ready for training. He has a speech, he can make short stories. No pronunciation defects.
Start with the simple, gradually move on to the complex. In each new lesson, repeat the material of the previous one.
Stick to the gaming technique. It will help you instill in your baby a love of reading and a desire to learn.
Start syllable classes with the simplest combinations. Use words that are familiar to the child. Gradually complicate your workouts.
Do not expect quick results from your child. He will learn to read gradually. To get started, let him learn monosyllabic and two-syllable words. Pick up tasks with them until the baby begins to cope with "excellent".
When the easy words are over, try coaching the reading of whole sentences in syllables. Gradually increase your reading volume.
The simple tips in this article will help you easily and effectively teach your child how to read syllables. At the same time, the baby will spend time with pleasure, performing game tasks.
In addition to reading skills, memory, attentiveness, logical and abstract thinking will develop, and the horizons of the child will expand.